Candy giant Mars to invest $2 billion more in U.S. manufacturing through 2026

Candy and snacks giant Mars on Tuesday announced plans to invest$2 billionmore in itsU.S.operations through next year to bolster the company’s ongoing efforts to expand manufacturing in the country.

The Twix and Milky Way chocolate maker has already invested more than$6 billioninU.S.manufacturing in the last five years and the new funding will support a$240 millionfacility forNature’s BakeryinSalt Lake City, Utah.

The new facility, opening on Wednesday, will create over 230 new jobs in the region and have the capacity to produce about one billion candy bars every year, Mars said.

“TheU.S.is our biggest and most important market, and a key engine of growth for the long term – not only through our legacy manufacturing footprint but also through the expansion of strategic acquisitions likeNature’s Bakery, which is already scaling quickly,” said Mars CFOClaus Aagaard.

Many companies are doubling down on theirU.S.production capabilities after the Trump administration imposed sweeping import tariffs aimed at narrowing the trade deficit and prompting multinational firms to bring manufacturing back to America.

About 94% of Mars products sold in theU.S.are produced locally.

The company announced a$36 billiondeal to buy Pringles maker Kellanova in August, and has received approval fromU.S.antitrust regulators while EU counterparts opened a full-scale investigation last month.